Apparatus for flattening lead wires



Aug. 22 1939.

J. F. DONOVAN ET AL APPARATUS FOR FLATTENING LEAD WIRES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w Filed Nov. 13, 1937 Inventors: John F. Donovan, John Flaws,Jr-

b g Thei?- Attornegg- 1939. J. F. DONOVAN ET AL r ,7 4

APPARATUS FOR FLATTENING LEAD WIRES I Fig.2..

Filed Nov. 13, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor-s.

M8 ge Jo hn E D on ovan,

' John Fa s Jr' 9 9 3; y WaJMZL In] [00 9 ey.

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR FLATTENING LEAD WIRES New York Application November 13, 1937, Serial No. 174,416

8 Claims.

Our invention relates to methods and apparatus for making leading-in wires for incandescent lamps and other like devices, and more particularly our invention relates to a method and apparatus for preparing and flattening the portion of the leading-in wire which is subsequently sealed into a vitreous portion of the hermetically sealed enclosure of said devices.

In providing a suitable conductor for this purpose, the sealing portion thereof must have either the same coefiicient of expansion as the viterous portion of the device in which it is sealed or must be of such a shape as to yield to the unlike expansion of the vitreous portion and still remain hermetically sealed thereto. The most desirable Way of constructing the leading-in wire so that it functions according to the latter method is to flatten the sealing portion to a very thin section. This type of leading-in wire is well known but little success has been experienced commercially with it because of the difiiculty of consistently flattening the wire to exactly the size required. Heretofore the wire has been flattened by a single blow with apparatus which could not be made to operate absolutely uniformly and remain in adjustment for any appreciable length of time.

According to our invention, the leading-in wire is flattened by a multiplicity of relatively light blows or squeezing operations preferably pro-' duced by either a mechanical or a pneumatic hammer. This method is preferred because the striking surfaces do not become grooved by t e wire and because of the simplicity of adjusting the apparatus and keeping it in adjustment. In

combination with such apparatus, we provide means for removing some of the material from that portion of the wire which is to be flattened, for the dual purpose of removing any coating that may be on it and for reducing the size of said section so that it does not increase in width objectionably when flattened. The leading-in wire is preferably reduced in size by scraping apparatus. Other features and advantages of the method and apparatus of our invention will be apparent from the description whic follows of one species thereof and from the accompanying drawings.

Inthe drawings, Fig. l is a perspective view of an apparatus comprising our invention; Fig. 2 is a section through the scraping portion of the apparatus; Fig. 3 is a section along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4-. is a section along line 4-- l of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the wire flattening portion of the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. l, the wire I0 passes from right to left through the apparatus and may consist,,for example, of a copper wire having a coating of nickel thereon. The wire I0 is taken from a source of supply (not shown) which comprises a spool, means for keeping a relatively uniform tension in the wire as it is withdrawn and suitable straightening means. The said wire passes directly from the end of the rotary straightener l I to the wire cleaning or scraping apparatus l2. From the scraping apparatus l2, which removes the nickel coating from that portion of the wire H3 that is to be flattened, said wire l8 passes through the feeding, flattening and severing apparatus l3, l4 and I5 respectively which advance the wire l0, flatten the previously cleaned portion thereof and sever it into lengths forming single leading-in wires. The operating period of each of these portions l2, l3, M and E5 of our apparatus is controlled by a plurality of cams (not shown) located on a common shaft below the table it, and except for the feeding apparatus l3, occurs during the rest period of the wire It! between longitudinal indexing movements thereof.

The wire l0 located in operating relation to the scraping apparatus lies as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the longitudinal groove I! in the rod or shaft l8 and passes over the jaw l9, between the scraping knife 2!) and the block 2! and between the jaws 22 and 23. The serrated end IQ of jaw I9 and jaws 22 and 23 close on the wire H1 immediately after it comes to rest following an indexing. movement thereof and prevent the sec tion of said wire l9 therebetween from being moved out of positionby the scraping operation. The jaw I9 is pivoted on the pin 24 in the rod i8 and is moved so as to grip the wire itby the slide wedge 25 which is pushed against the tapered end 20' of said jaw 19. The sliding wedge 25, as shown in Fig. 3, is located in a keystone-shaped groove in the rod !8 which prevents it from moving sideways, and is moved longitudinally into position by the lever 26 to which it is connected by the link 21. The lever 26 ispivoted on the pin 28 in the bracket 29 which also supports the rod 18 and is fastened to the bracket 3!! onthe table "3. Said lever 26 is connected by the link 3| to the lever 32 which is pivoted on the pin 33 extending from bracket 38. Said lever 32 is operated by a cam (not shown) located below the table it through the rod 34. The same movement of lever 32 which actuates jaw l9 causes the jaws 22 and 23 to close on the wire H) as the stud 35 in the end of said lever 32, against which the slide 36 normally rests, is lowered so that said slide 36 moves down in the ways in the bracket 31 to actuate the jaws 22 and 23 which are connected thereto through links 38 and 39. The jaws 22 and 23 are pivoted on pins 22 and 23' on the bracket 31 which is mounted on the bracket 30 and which has ways therein for the slide 36 in which said slide is held by the plate 49. The spring 4! located between posts in the slide 35 and plate 49 contracts as the slide .36 moves down.

Now that the portion of the wire [0 in operative relation to the scraping apparatus I2 is held securely, the scraping knife 20 is brought down into engagement therewith and, while rotating rapidly about said Wire I0, is moved back and forth longitudinally with respect thereto. The knife 29 is mounted on the arm 42 which is pivoted on stud 43 at one end and has a yoke 43' at its opposite end which is engaged by the stud 44 extending from lever 45 which swings said arm 42 back and forth to produce the scraping movement. The stud 43 is in two parts extending from opposite sides of a block 41 which in turn is mounted on a pin 48 pivoted in the yoke 49 and is turned, so as to raise and lower the knife 26, by the collar 50 attached to the end thereof. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the collar 53 is turned by a pair of studs 5| extending from the cam 52 which is pivoted on the pin 48. The said cam 52 is pivoted by the rotation of disc 53 on which the yoke 49 is mounted, the said cam 52 being carried against a roller 54 on arm 55, so that the knife 29 is moved. During the period the knife 20 is raised above the wire H), the cam 52 extends some distance beyond the periphery of the disc 53. When the knife 20 is dropped onto the wire ID, the lever 55 is moved so that the roller 54 strikes the cam 52 during rotation of the disc 53 and the latch 56 moves into position behind the dog 51 on the cam 52. The lever 55 is pivoted on the bracket 30 and is operated by a cam (not shown) below the table [6 through the bar 58. The holes in the collar 50 are larger than the studs 5| engaging them so that the arm 42 is allowed sufficient free movement to cause the knife 29 to engage the wire I0 properly while the cam 52 is held by the latch 55. The latch 56 is pivoted on the bolt 59 extending from the d sc 53 and, when moved into position behind the dog 51, allows the spring 60, located between posts in the disc 53 and the latch 56, to contract. The disc 53 is mounted on the hollow shaftor sleeve 6! which surrounds the rod l8 and is mounted in the ball bearings 62 and 63 Within the bracket 33. The said shaft 6| is turned, so that the knife 20 engages the entire peripheryof the wire 59, by means (not shown) operating through the belt 64 and pulley B5. The, movement of the knife 20 and arm 42 longitudinally of the wire, produced by the stud 44 and lever 45, is caused by the movement of the roller 61 on one end of said lever 45 in and out of the hollows in cam 68 during the rotation of the disc 53. The lever 45 is pivoted on a pin 69 mounted on the disc 53 and the roller 61 thereon is always heldin engagement with the cam 68 by the compression spring 79 which butts against the disc 53 and the lever 45. The knife 29 engages the Wire Ii! with the contracting force of the spring H which extends between the arm 42 and ,a post extending from the face of the disc 53. and cuts to adepth governed by the position of the roller 12 which engages the plate 13 on one side of the arm 42 when the limit is reached. The roller 12 is mounted on the yoke 14 which has a stud extending therefrom through a hole in the block 15 attached to the face of the disc 53, the said stud being held in position by the adjusting nuts 16 threaded thereon and engaging said block 15. The block 2| is mounted on the face of the disc 53 by means of the bracket 11 and is provided with raised portions at both ends as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to prevent the wire Ill from being moved sideward out of position thereon by the knife 20.

Following the cutting or scraping interval of the knife 29, it is raised from the Wire l0, and the jaws I9, 22 and 23 are moved so as to release their hold on said wire H]. The movement of the jaws i9, 22 and 23 is brought about by their operating means already described, whereas the movement of the knife 20 is caused by the tripping of the latch 55 which allows the arm 42 and cam 52 to shift said knife. The latch 56 (Fig. 4) is tripped by movement of a roller 78 into the path of movement thereof created by the rotation of the disc 53 and is brought about by the shifting of the lever 1'9 on which said roller '53 is mounted by a cam (not shown) located below the table 56 and acting through rod 80. The cam 52 and arm 42 are moved partially by the centrifugal force created by the rotation of the disc 53 and partially by the leaf spring 8| mounted on the stud 82 extending from the disc 53 and engaging a stud 82 extending from the cam 52. The movement of the cam 52 is limited by the length of the slot 83 therein in which the stud 83 extending from the disc 53 is located.

After treatment by the scraping apparatus, the wire 59 is drawn into the groove 84 in the slide 35 of the feeding apparatus 33 which operates intermittently between the operating periods of the scraping and flattening apparatus 12 and 54 respectively. The feeding operation is started by the right to left (Fig. l) movement of the arm 35 mounted on a stud extending from the back of bracket 8'5, which movement is created by a cam (not shown) located below the table l6 and actuating said arm 85 through the rod 88 and the arm 89 also mounted on said stud. The arm 85 engages a roller on the end of an arm 9!! which is fastened to a pin 9| rotatably mounted in the slide 85 and causes the arm 99 to turn said 9! so that the block 92 is brought down against the wire 56 in the groove 84 therein to clamp said wire between said slide 85 and block 92. The lower end of the block 92 is made smaller than the remainder so that it passes freely into the groove 34 in the slide 35. Followingthe clamp ng of the wire 69, the movement of the arm 83 causes the slide 85 to be shifted in the. ways in bracket 82 so that the wire H) is ad vanced This movement is continued until the wire H3 is advanced a distance equal to the length of the individual leading-in wire being manufactured and is followed by the return movement of the arm 85 which first swings the block 92 up from the wire 13 to release it and then returns the slide 85 to its former position. During the return movement of the slide 85 the wire 53 remains stationary since it is then held by the .jaws 22 and 23 of the scraping apparatus 52 and has sufiicient stiffness to resist buckling.

The wire 5% advanced beyond the feeding apparatus 53 passes through. the opening in the guide tube 93, between the anvils 94 and 95 of the flattening apparatus I 4 and into the guide tube 95. The guide tubes 93 and 96 are mounted on the bracket 9'? and direct the wire ll] across the center portions of the anvils 94 and 95. The anvil 94 is also mounted on the bracket 9! while thereof.

the anvil 95 is mounted on the air hammer 98. When the wire IE3 comes to rest, air is admitted to the hammer 98 through the valve 99 (Fig. 5) located therebelow and the lower anvil 95 is driven upward against the wire ID in a plurality of rapid and relatively light blows of sufficient force to gradually swage the wire II) to the thickness desired. The air hammer 98 is a commercialproduct of The Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, with oflices in New York City, and is known as the type UU ring valve hammer delivering approximately 4900 blows per minute.

In this particular instance, the hammer is operated by compressed air at twenty-five pounds per square inch pressure for about one-fourth second in which twelve to fifteen blows are struck. The

air is introduced into the housing It); (Fig; 5)

of the air hammer through the pipe mi. The housing it?!) rests on the lower portion of bracket N and holds the lower portion of the air hammer 9%; which is securely clamped therein by the nut 292. The upper portion of the air hammer 98 is clamped to the bracket 9'! by the cap I03 and the anvil 95 rests in an aperture in the end The hammer 98 is placed in operation by movement of bar IM (Fig. 1) inward against the pin 9% of the valve 99 (Fig. 5) which moves the piston it back in the sleeve I9! allowing the compressed air usually confined in the openings the pipe IiiI, the housing I06, the plug IE8 and sleeve it? to pass through the opening IE9 in said sleeve till, the passage between said sleeve i and the housing I90, the opening H0 in said sleeve till, the opening about the pin I and the passage 5 I I in the housing I09 to the air hammer The bar I84 is mounted on the lever II 2 -n So.

(only partially shown) which is moved as re-.

quired by a cam. (not shown) on the main cam shaft below the table I6 and is moved back after the operating interval of the air hammer. The piston M36 is returned to the position shown by the expansion of spring 2'.

The wire Iii must be flattened to the order of .0012 inch thickness for it to function properly when sealed into a vitreous body and a swaging action, either hammering or squeezing, such as performed by the air hammer 98 is necessary for proper control of the flattening operation. The differences in hardness and section commonly found in a given length of wire II] do not materially affect the uniformity of the flattened section produced by such a swaging operation. The air-operated hammer 98 likewise provides additional advantages in that the period of operation and the air pressure applied to the hammer 98 can easily be controlled and adjusted to meet the requirements of the particular wire I!) being flattened. In this instance, the anvils 94 and 95 have inserts I I 3 and I I4 respectively of an extremely hard wear-resistant material produced by the Carboloy Company of Detroit, Michigan, and known as a cemented tungsten carbide. ilcwing the swaging operation, the wedge H5 iserted between the inserts H3 and IM to cause them to separate and give free passage for the wire Iii which is then indexed through the guide tube 95 to the cutting apparatus I5. wedge 5 i5 is slidably mounted in an arm I I5 extending from the cap I933 and is operated by the lever ii? which is pivoted on a pin Ill on cap M33 and engages the bar I84 through the finger H8. The motion of the bar IIM stopping the flow of air to the hammer 93 allows the lever ill to swing, so that the wedge H5 is carried into position between the inserts I I3 and I I4 and causes the spring I I9, a portion of which is located in a well in the lower end of said lever IN, to expand.

The cutting apparatus I5 (Fig. 1) is comprised essentially of the knife I20 and the circular disc I2I which provides the mating cutting edge. The wire I!) advanced beyond the guide tube 95 passes through an aperture in a plate 22 so as to extend beyond the disc shaped insert I2l and knife 12'0 a distance equal to the length of the individual leading-in wire desired. The plate i 22 is mounted on an arm extending from the bracket 97 and retains the disc E2I in a fixed position, while the knife IZEI is mounted on the lever I23 and is moved down thereby to sever the wire it! when said wire it] finally comes to rest. The lever I23 is pivoted on the shaft i2 1 extending from the bracket 97 and is moved at the correctmoment by a cam (not shown) located below the table it and acting through the rod I25. The wire I26 severed from wire IO and forming the leading-in wire with the flattened portion I2! is preferably caught in a small tray (not shown) which can be unloaded at suitable intervals.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for flattening portions of a leading-in wire comprising a pair of opposed anvils, means for intermittently feeding a length of the wire longitudinally to carry spaced portions thereof between the faces of said anvils, means operable upon cessation of the longitudinal movement of said wire for repeatedly actuating one of said anvils to compress the portion of the wire therebetween and flatten it to the desired thickness, and means for severing said wire into lengths each including one of said flattened portions.

2. Apparatus for flattening portions of a leading-in wire comprising a pair of opposed anvils, means for intermittently feeding a length of the wire longitudinally to carry spaced portions thereof between the faces of said anvils, pneumatic means operable upon cessation of the longitudinal movement of said wire for repeatedly actuating one of said anvils to compress the portion of the wire therebetween and flatten it to the desired thickness, and means for severing said wire into lengths each including one of said flattened portions.

3. In a device of the type described, the cornbination of means for feeding a wire longitudinally, means disposed adjacent the path of said wire for scraping off the surface of a portion thereof, a pair of anvils disposed adjacent the path of said wire and adapted to receive said wire therebetween, and means for actuating one of said anvils to strike the previously scraped portion of the said wire a multiplicity of relatively light blows to flatten it.

4. In a device of the type described, the combination of means for feeding a wire longitudin ally, means disposed adjacent the path of. said wire for scraping off the surface of a portion thereof, a pair of anvils disposed adjacent the path of said wire and adapted to receive said wire therebetween, means for actuating one of said anvils to strike the previously scraped portion of the said wire a multiplicity of relatively light blows to flatten it, and means for severing said wire into lengths each including one of said flattened portions.

5. Apparatus for making leading-in wires comprising means for supporting and moving a wire, a knife mounted adjacent the path of said wire,

means for moving said knife into engagement with said wire, means for revolving said knife around said wire and moving it longitudinally back and forth across the surface of a portion thereof to scrape off the surface of said portion, a pair of anvils located adjacent to the path of said wire and adapted to receive the previously scraped portion of said wire therebetween, means for actuating one of said anvils to strike said wire a multiplicity of relatively light blows to flatten it, and means located adjacent said anvils for severing said wire into lengths each including one of said flattened portions.

6. Apparatus for making leading-in Wires comprising means for supporting and moving a wire longitudinally, a knife mounted adjacent the p-ath of said wire, means for moving said knife into engagement with said wire, means for revolving said knife around said wire and moving it longitudinally back and forth across the surface of a portion thereof to scrape off the surface of said portion, jaws located on opposite sides of said knife and adapted to grip and hold the Wire during the operating period of the knife so that the portion engaged by it does not move, means for restricting the movement of said knife toward the wire to limit the amount of material scraped therefrom by said knife, a pair of anvils located adjacent to the path of said wire and adapted to receive the previously scraped portion of said wire therebetween, means for actuating one of said anvils to strike said wire a multiplicity of relatively light blows to flatten it, and means located adjacent said anvils for severing said wire into lengths each including one of said flattened portions.

7. In a device of the type described, means for holding a length of wire, and means for scraping off the surface of a portion of said wire comprising a knife arranged to be pressed against said wire, and means for revolving said knife around said wire and moving it longitudinally back and forth across the surface of a portion thereof.

8. In a device of the type described, mechanism for scraping off the surface of a portion of a wire comprising a shaft having a longitudinal groove therein for receiving said wire, a disc rotatably mounted at one end of said shaft, a knife mounted on said disc and arranged to extend across and be pressed against a portion of the wire extending from the said end of said shaft, means for gripping and holding the said portion of said wire, and means on said disc for moving said knife longitudinally back and forth across the surface of a portion of said wire as said knife is revolved about the wire by said disc.

JOHN F. DONOVAN. JOHN FLAWS, JR. 

